The New Slytherin Girl
by AnnyBee
Summary: Not all Slytherins are evil; then again, they're not always so nice. Seven eventful years, all seen through a Slytherin's eyes. Sometimes it's good to look at life from a different perspective.
1. The Sorting

" _Platform Nine and Three-Quarters: Hogwarts Express_ "

Turning up to the sign over the platform I let out a sigh. Guess I'm here. Everyone seemed excited, pushing each other playfully and laughing loudly. I stood with my luggage, watching as all the young witches and wizards started boarding the trains. Most had come with their parents, making faces as they received different forms of affection that seemed to embarrass them. Ignoring all of the cooing, I turned towards the train and boarded myself.

After passing a few compartments full of students, I finally found an empty one to make myself at home in. I let out a breath and rested back against the seat. I could have easily shared a room but I didn't much feel like talking today. Honestly, my parents could have at least dropped me off. But there was no point in dwelling on that. Trying not to focus on that, I slipped down on the seat for a better rest.

After a few minutes passed, and a lot of noise from other students, the train blew its whistle and started to move. Slowly but surely the Hogwarts Express began picking up speed. I closed my eyes, trying not to think of all the things this school year would bring.

"Nice going, now we don't have a place to sit!" a voice interrupted my rest from the corridor.

"Don't even! You wanted to see that tarantula as much as I did!" another called, this time louder than the last. They were getting closer. Not a second later a pair of footsteps sounded just outside the compartment door. "Look, here's one!"

I opened my eyes to two identical boys walking into the compartment. Both with bright orange hair and freckle covered faces. Not sure how they missed me, they had immediately turned to set down their bags on the seat in front of me. Shoving their things around the seat they finally faced in my direction. Finally seeing me there, they gave a little jump.

"Hi?" I somewhat greeted after what felt like a good minute of them staring at me.

"Oh, hello there. We didn't know anyone was here" one stated hesitantly.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm Fred by the way, Fred Weasley. This is my brother George. Is it alright if we stay here?" Fred asked with an unnecessary gesture around the tiny compartment.

I answered them with a shrug and closed my eyes again. That was probably a rude gesture, but I felt too tired to try. But that didn't seem to deter them in the least. Most of the talk was about the tarantula they had spoken of before, brought by some kid name Lee. The two chatted on from one topic to another until I once again heard footsteps from the corridor. I opened my eyes as the compartment door opened again. Turning my head over I looked up at a girl with big hair, standing next to a boy with a very round face.

"Have any of you seen a toad?" the girl asked in a harsh sounding tone. She sounded a bit pushy, considering she was looking for a toad. "Neville here's lost one."

"We've seen a tarantula, does that help?" either Fred or George spoke up, not sure which one it was. Round-faced Boy's eyes got a lot bigger at the suggestion. The girl next to him didn't seem as amused.

"No it doesn't" she frowned slightly. The two redheads gave her a shrug. The girl looked disappointed at the two before shifting her look at me. Realizing she was waiting for me to say something too, I sat up.

"I haven't seen any toads. I'll be sure to let you know if one hops by" I mentioned with a small smile.

Knowing she wasn't getting anywhere, the girl sighed and walked off to the next compartment. Round-face walked closely behind her, following her lead. I stretched a bit, not really sure how long I had been laying there. I was making due with what I had, but these weren't exactly the most comfortable seats I had ever been on. Turning slightly I noticed the two looking at me. Waiting another moment, one of them raised his voice.

"She speaks!" one of the twins called, making the other chuckle. The looked so similar that I didn't know who was which. Even if they had initially introduced themselves, I had been too tired to pay attention, and they looked remarkably alike. I nodded my head at him and he took that as encouragement to keep going. "So, mystery girl, you got a name?"

"Katerina. It's nice to meet you" I raised a hand to shake each of theirs politely as they gave me their greetings back.

"You got plain robes on; you a first year?" one of them asked. I looked down, having forgotten I was wearing, before nodding up to them.

"Yes, I am. I'm assuming you two are not" I noticed. Although they weren't wearing their robes either, and they weren't exactly the most mature looking, but the two didn't strike me as first years.

"Nope. George here and I are third years" Fred, I assumed, mentioned.

"We're in Gryffindor—"

"Which I would _highly_ recommend" Fred interrupted to suggest. George nodded back proudly.

"Is there a house you're looking to get into?" he asked curiously.

"I don't really have a preference" I answered honestly, though they made a dubious face. "They all seem fine to me."

It sounded false, but I meant what I said. Most students of Hogwarts seemed to disagree with that notion. There was some unknown pride that filled this place, separating everyone into their individual houses. I suppose I didn't fall into the same belief, as my parents had attended Durmstrang, not Hogwarts, in their youth. That, and my overall apathy this morning, made me lose more interest than I already had. But given their favored house, and if I recall correctly their last name, I could guess which house they disliked.

"Just make sure you're not placed in Slytherin" Fred said sounding disgusted at the mere idea.

"And I'm sure you're giving me a completely unbiased opinion" I answered with a smile.

"As unbiased as any could be" George grinned back. I gave him a slightly bigger smile back before resting back against my seat again.

Although I still preferred not to communicate, it wasn't so bad talking to them. Still, turning away from them, I stared out of the train into the landscape. The two leaned into each other and started whispering. Part of me was curious about what, while the other was used to it. I was always surrounded by idle chatter and gossip, whether about me or not, so I learned to ignore it. My parents always insisted that I be less overt, and while I agreed they had a point, it was a lot of bother to keep my personality hidden. But eventually, we were interrupted yet again by a knock on the compartment door.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" a woman standing outside our compartment asked.

"None for us—"

"We're good."

The two both rejected her offer. From the look of it, they didn't sound too thrilled about it. Looking a little more closely I could tell why. I remembered their last name, Weasley, from my father's work. Their father, Arthur Weasley, worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. And though they were pure-bloods, from what I remember meeting him, their family was very different from ours.

"I'll have some chocolate frogs and licorice wands, please. And whatever they want; I'm buying" I added, pulling a pouch of galleon from my bag.

The looked surprised by the latter of the statements. They paused, knowing whether or not to accept. After some time, they still didn't answer, so I just ordered something for them. Paying the woman and thanking her, I took the miscellaneous sweets from her and handed them their share.

"We can't accept this" George argued, although I could tell he wanted them.

"Well it's too late for that now, isn't it" I called and watch them both look up in surprise. I paused for a second, recognizing my tone. And that's what my parents meant by being too overt. Taking a small breath, I gave them a smile. "I already paid for these sweets, and I certainly can't eat them all myself. So I would appreciate it if you two did me the favor and took your share."

After a little while, the boys looked at each other and shrugged. They thanked me a moment before digging into their sweets. I didn't mind, I had enough galleon to spare. But I was glad they didn't argue much with me. I never understood why people put so much importance on money. Then again, with who my family was, I didn't have a voice to complain.

Using those sweets as an opening, I spent the rest of the train ride having a conversation with Fred and George. I may have studied up on the school but, having no first hand experience to draw from, I wanted their opinion. Asking the students definitely gave a different perspective than a textbook had. On the plus side, after having an actual conversation with them, they seemed like funny and nice enough guys. Learning about the teachers, places to sit on the grounds, and all the little insider knowledge would come in handy.

Once we reached our stop, we headed out of the compartment doors. The two mentioned they would save me a spot at their table, not that it was up to them. Still, I appreciated the thought. I thanked both of them, giving the two my goodbyes and leaving them to go with the rest of their year. First years always rode to the castle on boats, as part of a long standing tradition. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fred and George boarding a horse drawn carriage as I make my way towards the others of my year.

It took a moment for all of us to gather from the train, some looking unsure as to what they were supposed to do. Eventually, we were all gathered, boarded, and taken to a small chamber for us to rest in, waiting until the other students were rounded and the Sorting Ceremony began. I stood near the back of the group through the interaction. Talking to the two in the compartment had helped a bit but I still wasn't fully feeling up to meeting new people. Or meeting old ones, for that fact.

Near the front of the group I saw a few students I recognized. The pushy, big-haired girl from earlier was there, and so was Round-face boy, as I had expected. It looked like he had found his toad somewhere along the train ride. The other involved someone who had been rumored to be coming; Harry Potter, the boy who lived. And berating him about one thing or another, with that overly combed hairstyle I recognized, was Malfoy.

My father had told me, among other things, I should be nice and greet him warmly. But considering the argument we'd had, I wasn't sure if I should be happy to see him or not. We would be going to the same school for a good few years, so I suppose I could try. Still, Draco always had trouble with the way he held himself, always a little too… pompous. He sure had a lot to be proud of, but he seemed to change when he was around other people. But before we waited too long the professor came back. Shushing and ushering all first years through the corridors, we arrived into the Great Hall.

It looked nice enough, four long tables given to each of the houses, decorated with their respective colors, and a large staff table at the front of the room. Professor McGonagall stood us in front of everyone for a while. I caught sight of the twins chatting with some people on the table at the far left, probably at the Gryffindor table. Catching my glance, they both smiled and made an exaggerated gesture that I translated to mean they hoped I would be placed in Gryffindor. Not sure how they expected to control that, I simply gave them a small smile back.

I turned back to an old looking hat sat on a wooden stool, as it began to talk. Well, sing. The ragged hat sang to all four houses, in what seemed to be part of this yearly tradition. A few of the other first years, I noticed, made faces as certain house names were called. But once the song ended, the sorting began, which would determine what house we would be placed for the rest of our time in Hogwarts.

"Abbott, Hannah" the professor called. I sighed, not realizing they were calling out full names. It made sense, but I had hoped to let my arrival slide under the radar.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat screamed as it made its decision. The table on the right welcomed her with roudy cheers, as she sat down as the next name was called.

"Bones, Susan" the professor went on, as the next girl took her place under the hat.

This went on for a while, as one by one each of the first years were placed into their new houses. I remained in the back of the group; since they were going alphabetically, I wouldn't be going for a while. A few students I recognized were sorted into Slytherin, a few others went to Gryffindor, including Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, who had been that loud spoken girl from before. Until, finally, it was my turn.

"Volkov, Katerina" the professor called and, with another small sigh, I made my way towards the hat.

After the announcement, I heard a handful of whispers. Apparently I had recognized some students, and now some of them recognized me. My family wasn't exactly ordinary, and my family name carried some weight, from my father in particular. It wasn't my fault that I was in this family, and it was a pain when that was all people saw. Grumbling to myself, I waited until the hat was placed on my head.

"SLYTHERIN!" at the announcement, I hopped off the stool and headed toward the table I had seen Draco walk off to.

The Slytherin house looked pretty happy to have me there. That might just be a superficial sort of liking, but I hadn't been expecting much. I moved to sit next to Draco, giving him a smile as I always did. If we were going to spend the next several years in the same school, the same house, the least I could do is be civil, even if he was an idiot. He turned away from me but said hello in a curt tone. I saw him blushing slightly; hardly visible, but it was there. From what I had heard him saying to the other students, my guess was he wanted to maintain his image. And, regardless of whether we were still fighting or not, having me tease him or call him pet names probably wouldn't help the tough act he's trying so hard to put on.

I simply turned back to the sorting, over to Ron Weasley, who had just been accepted into the same house as his brothers. He went over to sit at the table, Next to Potter and his brothers, who, in the process of turning to him, saw me. On impulse, I held my breath. There was a reason I hadn't mentioned my last name. My family wasn't very friendly to people they didn't deem worthy of their attention, which included people like their family. Still, they gave me a smile. A little shocked, I let out a giggle. They waved happily at me before turning to their brother to congratulate him, on his placement into Gryffindor I would assume.

"Why are you bothering with those… weasels?" Draco asked with annoyance.

I gave him a look but didn't give him a reply before the headmaster spoke. Dumbledore began to address everyone in the hall and, judging by the unconcerned attitude of the other students, what he was saying wasn't anything new. But after all the general greetings, and the bits of information any beginning of the year speech would include, he concluded his speech and the feast began.

On the table were many dishes and sides. Normally I wouldn't turn away food, but I wasn't particularly hungry at the moment. It probably had to do with all the sweets on the train with the twins. Looking at the table around me I noticed a lot of people I knew, or rather a lot of families I knew. Part of me wondered if that was why I had been placed here. I had researched enough about the Slytherin founder to realize pure-blood and high class were his type. I started nibbling on some chips that were near me, not wanting to focus too far on the thought.

"So this is the swill we're expected to eat now?" Draco sneered at the plate in front of him. I knew he liked to be treated a certain way, but this was school, not a resort.

"What, are you going to cook yourself? Just eat it" I quietly lectured, scooting the place of chicken a little closer to him.

Draco looked like he was about to argue with me, so I grabbed a piece of chicken and pushed it into his mouth before he could say anything. This surprised a couple of the first years, and even a couple of the older students. But this was how I always treated him, and he knew that. I simply smiled at him before turning back to my chips. Not wanting to draw this out more than it was, he took the chicken, giving me a glare, and started eating. He didn't look excited, but at least he was getting something.

Some time passed as everyone finished up their meals. Dumbledore made one last speech to the room, before dismissing the students. It was time for bed. We were made to wait for one of the Slytherin prefects, so they could take us to our dorms. Overall I felt tired, but nothing a good night's rest couldn't fix. We were led by our prefects downstairs, through many passages, until we finally arrived into a spacious common room.

It wasn't the most luxurious setup we could have been given, but it would do. The girls' and boys' dormitories were on different sides, and we were being escorted up. With a small goodnight to Draco, I followed the rest of my roommates up to our new room. I wasn't entirely pleased about having to share the space with three other girls, but Daphne, Pansy, and Millicent didn't seem so bad. They acted nice enough but, whether that was actually because of me or my family, I wasn't sure. Either way, I still wasn't feeling the whole talking thing, so I headed straight to bed.

I fell asleep rather quickly.


	2. New Classes

Soon, I learned what a confusing place the Hogwarts castle could be. The staircases moved, walls pretended to be portraits, and such other things made maneuvering around the place difficult. Part of me was expecting I would get lost and trapped somewhere pretty soon. But other than the off occasion that caused me to take the wrong turn, I was enjoying the school. Everyone in Slytherin was being friendly enough, or at least pretending to be. But with all the focus being on Potter, I had hardly heard my name. Part of me felt bad for him; I knew what it was like to be the unwanted center of attention.

"Hurry up! If you stay there too long, the staircase will move again" Draco called, as we made our way down to the Potions room. Loudspoken, borderline obnoxious as usual, Draco liked to pretend to be domineering. A bully though he may act, he always looked as cuddly as a puffskein to me.

"I'm going" I groaned back to him, but rushed a bit to meet his side.

I had heard from some of the older students, some of which included Fred and George, that Professor Snape was one of the more strict professors. But it had also been mentioned that he favored his house, which in this instance could turn beneficial in my favor. Although, so far I had done fairly well in my classes. Failure wasn't in my father's vocabulary, and he expected nothing less than exemplary behavior, or at least the appearance of it. Even so, Draco had already accused me of cheating, although I'm not sure how he thought I was doing that.

As expected, Professor Snape seemed quiet yet his very presence seemed to demand attention. The class stayed quiet, waiting for him to begin the lesson. Looking around the room, I saw some Gryffindor students mixed into our group. Not that they were interacting with each other, in fact, I doubted many would be in the same had they not been made to by our curriculum. Among them was the big-haired girl I had met on the train, Hermione Granger. I didn't have any family pride associated with Slytherin, or any of the other houses, so I didn't see an issue with interacting with the other students. She was pleasant enough, and it could be useful to have connections outside of my own house. Having looked a little longer than I thought I would have, Hermione caught me glancing in her direction. I gave her a smile and waved politely. That caught her a bit off guard, and though a bit surprised she waved back.

"Well, well, look who it is" Draco mumbled to the boys sitting across from us.

I glanced in the direction he was muttering to see Harry Potter walking through the door, alongside him Ronald Weasley. They seemed to be getting along. The two shuffled their way into the classroom, moving to the seat next to Hermione. Making it just barely on time, they sat down just as Professor Snape began his class. Beginning the class with a simple roll call, he paused as he got to Potter's name. From the sound of it, the professor didn't sound like he was very fond of him. He gave him some mocking praise, to the enjoyment of a few Slytherins in particular, giving them quite a laugh. I gave Draco a swift kick under the table and turned with a look. He returned my look but stopped his chuckling.

Professor Snape went on to explain that, while we weren't using the kind of magic that required a wand, Potions was still a very useful skill to have. I wholeheartedly agreed with that. Since I was little, I had always been especially interested in potions. It was an admirable skill, being able to do powerful magic without the need of a wand. Being an underrated form of magic, it required the knowledge of not just incantations and gestures, but the general knowledge of ingredients, their interactions, and the reactions they have together. The whole thing was a balancing act. And after a few more words of explanation, he started us off on our first brew.

We began working on simple potions in pairs and, as we did, Professor Snape began to walk around the room, analyzing everyone's work. This was clearly an opportunity to scrutinize his new students, but as he passed by our table, he was rather nice to Draco and I. Some of the other's weren't as lucky, or in good graces. The Round-Faced boy, whose name I had found out to be something Longbottom, had somehow managed to brew a potion that burned through fabric, burning holes on some students' shoes. It wasn't the best first impression with our professor, as many students were forced to stand on their stools to avoid being damaged by his concoction. As the class ended, and most Gryffindors ended up scolded and with a loss of points, the Slytherin house was a little more than pleased with Professor Snape.

"Did you see the look on Potter's face? Snape knocked him down a few notches, didn't he" Draco chuckled to the others as we walked out of the dungeon. Some of the others laughed alongside him, apparently having the same sense of humor he did. But I didn't particularly care for these jokes of his so instead I gave him a sigh, a poke on his cheek, and walked a ways away.

I head Draco call after me, but I lost his voice after I started climbing up the stairs. The boy was a little rough around the edges, but since we had gotten to school, he had been pushing into this behavior more than he normally did. Normally I tried to be understanding of his difficult nature, but patience wasn't one of my virtues, so I usually just walked away. It gave him something to think about, at the very least.

Being given the afternoon off, I decided to take the time to explore a little more of the castle. It was one thing to have the little details of the school explained to you, and it was a whole other thing to be able to experience it. Mainly focusing on the west wing, from the Great Hall to the study room, I ended up walking through the courtyard. Being so early in September, it wasn't very cold out yet, and it wasn't the worst thing having a bit of sun on my face. Throwing my things down on the grass, I leaned myself back against my hands and closed my eyes. I stayed there a few minutes until I heard two familiar voices calling my attention.

"Hey, well if it isn't our mystery girl!" I opened my eyes to see Fred and George walking in my direction. "You really like being off by yourself, don't you. How've you been, love?"

"Good" I smiled back as my only greeting. I still couldn't tell which it was that I was speaking to, so I didn't attempt to name one. I watched as they sat down beside me. In the sun, their hair looked brighter and redder than usual. "I just felt like getting some fresh air is all."

"All those cold-blooded snakes treating you alright?" whichever the other was asked. I frowned a little, being bothered that I couldn't tell them apart. I had just met them, and they were identical, but it was still annoying me. They interpreted that to mean something else, and because of it, tried to backtrack a moment. "No offense or anything."

"That is your emblem animal" the other added, as a defense.

"None taken, and I never did favor snakes or anything" I gave the two a small smile back. "It's been good so far. They've all been nice enough to me."

"I don't see why they wouldn't be, Miss Volkov" he mentioned with a particular look. I nodded and looked down for a moment.

"About that—" I began, but they interrupted.

"You know, you look nothing like your father" one mentioned, while the other one smiled by his side.

"You've met?" I asked, genuinely surprised.

"Once" he nodded slowly, with that look of subtle fear my father usually caused. Yes, they had certainly met. "You are not nearly as terrifying as he is."

"I find that personally offensive" I mentioned, and they gave me a laugh.

"You shouldn't."

"You're very cute, Kitty" one gave me a grin, as I unintentionally gave them a small frown back.

"Kitty?" I asked. The two smirked back.

"Yeah, you said it was Katerina, right?" he asked to clarify. I gave them a small nod. "That seemed like a really long name, for such a tiny girl—"

"So we decided on Kitty for short."

"Is that alright with you?" the other asked, giving me a concerned look.

"Yeah, it's alright" I answered, letting out a small chuckle and gave them a nod. It wasn't a common occurrence but I did have someone call me before. When we were children he acted a lot cuter than he does now, but Draco hadn't called me that in a very long time. "I just remembered an old friend who used to call me the same thing."

"You know, you don't act like the other snakes in your house" one mentioned, smiling down at me. I gave them a smile back.

I doubted they had talked to many Slytherins enough to actually say that for a fact. Still, I thought they would treat me the same way they did the rest, but that didn't seem to be the case. And they knew my father, which I was sure would be enough reason for them to stop talking to me. If that wasn't the case, it must have been a small meeting. And they weren't being too friendly, as some tried to do to get on my good side. My smile got a little bigger; I was beginning to like them more and more.

A couple of the other students threw funny looks at us as they passed by. From the few days I had been at the castle, I knew it wasn't the most common sight to see Gryffindor and Slytherin students spending their free time together, especially by choice. With a particular smile on his face, one of the two smiled at the other.

"You okay there, Georgie?" Fred, I assumed, whispered, leaning over to his brother. George swatted at his brother, and the other gave him a shove back. The two went back and forth for a moment before something caught George's attention.

"They friends of yours?" he asked me, looking over before frowning a bit. I followed his glance to see what was making him have that look. Draco was standing around, staring at us. Next to him, the two other boys he'd seemed to make friends with were standing by. I recognized them, but always forgot their names. I gave the boys a wave, refocusing Draco's attention from the twins to me. He gave me a glare, like he had with them, before huffing and walking away.

"One of them is, yes" I answered with a smile as they shuffled away; he really didn't like to share. Still, I didn't appreciate the little look he gave me. Dusting my skirt off, I stood up. "I should actually get going. But it was nice seeing you two."

Not looking too thrilled to see me go, the Fred and George said their goodbyes and mentioned I should meet them after breakfast next, so we could talk some more. I agreed, seeing as I had nothing else planned, before grabbing my things, and headed for the castle. I moved to the Slytherin Dungeon, which I assumed is where Draco had gone to mope to. I'm sure he was upset that I was spending time with other people, not to mention they were Gryffindors, and Weasleys. That kind of thing bothered him a lot more than it bothered me. But I didn't like the little look he gave me.

After walking around a moment around the common room, I decided to check his dormitory. He always did like to mope in his room. Before I reached the stairs I noticed Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass, two of my roommates, sitting on one of the seats nearby. It couldn't hurt to ask. I walked over to them, pausing a moment to exchange hello's.

"Have either of you seen Draco Malfoy?"

"I think I saw him go up to his room" Daphne answered me, as Pansy made a face next to her. Part of me wondered if she had something against him. That didn't surprise me, he did have a habit of rubbing people the wrong way. But I ignored it.

"Alright, thank" I gave Daphne a smile before turning to the boys' dormitories. Draco had shown me where his room was, just in case I needed to reach him. Now it was coming in handy. But before I could step too far, Pansy stood quickly from her seat, blocking my way. "Yes?"

"Why do you need Draco?" she asked, seeming almost bothered by the fact.

"It's kind of private" I said with a small frown.

There wasn't anything specific I was trying to hide, but I didn't see a reason to tell her all my doings either. She paused, looking like she wanted to argue, but decided against it. My guess was that she couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to stop me. Maybe Pansy disliked him, or maybe she disliked me. Either way, I ignored her a moment and moved up the staircase, and as I did, Pansy reluctantly walked back towards Daphne.

The closer I got to Draco's dormitory, the more looks I seemed to get. I didn't think it would draw that much attention for a girl to be near the boys' dormitories. It wasn't unheard of; a couple of the older students had mentioned it was possible, and just boys couldn't climb up the girls' stairs. Still, as I passed, I caught a few uncertain looks and some I couldn't quite place. But I ignored their faces, making my way up to the first year's dormitory. I reached the door, stopping a moment to listen at the door. From what I remembered, Draco was sharing his room with four other boys now. Surprisingly there wasn't the usual noise I would expect from a room filled with boys. Nobody seemed to be around, still, I knocked just in case.

"I thought I told you guys to get out!" I heard Draco's grumpy voice scream. At least now I knew he was definitely in there. Grumbling to himself, I heard him shuffle to the door before yanking it open. He looked like he wanted to yell some more, but paused noting it was me in front of the door. His expression softened for a moment before his anger took over again.

"Hi" I smiled, waving at his annoyed looking face. Taking a look inside, I saw he was the only one in the room. "Wanted some alone time, did you?"

"Shouldn't you be talking to your new boyfriends?" Draco hissed in response. I'm sure he thought that made him sound threatening, but he was too cute to take seriously sometimes. I smiled a bit more at that, but that didn't seem to help his mood. "Why don't you go back to those muggle-loving—"

"Don't" I interrupted with a look of warning. Draco frowned at me, but stopped.

He knew I hated it when he used those kinds of insults. Liking a muggle shouldn't be the sole reason to hate someone. But the boy had too much pride to apologize, so he wouldn't. Draco looked at me a second more before stepping away from the door. I followed him inside, closing the door behind us. Taking a hold of his arm, I leaned closer to him before sitting on a nearby bed.

"So why are you moping?"

"I'm not moping" he frowned next to me, looking down at the sheets next to him.

"Liar" I called back, placing my head on his shoulder. "What is it that's bothering you?"

"Why were you talking to them?" he mumbled, not looking at me.

"What, I'm not allowed to make friends?" I asked jokingly, but he frowned even more. I knew that wasn't the reason, not entirely at least. Whatever was going on in his head, something was bothering him, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't pry it out of him. And the easiest way to get that from Draco, as always, was to annoy him into spilling the truth. "Or is it because they're Gryffindors? If I had been sorted into Gryffindor, would you be treating me this way?"

"It's not just because they're Gryffindors" Draco complained, pulling his arm out of my grip. "And don't compare yourself to them. They're below you."

"Technically, they're above me. They're in a tower; we're the ones in a dungeon" I noted, making him roll his eyes at me. He was still acting the tough guy. "Look, Deedee—"

"I told you to stop calling me that" he snarled at me, making me be the one to roll my eyes this time. Older though he may be, he still acted like the child I had met all those years ago. So, I ignored him.

"I know you're grumpy, and I know you don't want to share, but I can make other friends if I want—"

"I'm not a child, don't talk to me like one" he argued, but I ignored it.

"But no matter how many friends I have, I will always love you—"

"Stop."

"You and your pretty face, and those rosy cheeks—"

"Stop!"

Giggling a bit, I watched his cheeks blush. It was a habit of his to get a red face whenever I told him I loved him. I hadn't said it in a while, but it was reassuring to see it was still easy to say to him. He was adorable. Grabbing his arm once more, I sat close to him. Even if he made me angry, even though we had that fight…

"Why are you such a pain?" Draco groaned at my side. I gave him a smile and settled back against his side.

"You love me too, don't lie. You missed me admit it" I smiled, hugging onto his arm. I almost forgot what it was like to be around him. He could be brash and pompous but he was a sweet boy. There were just those moments, those few times, where he let his impulses get the better of him. He said things he didn't mean. Or if he did mean them, he said it without thinking of what effect his words could cause. "I missed you, I did, but if you ever say that to me again…"

"I won't," Draco gave me a small nod, knowing what I was going to say before I even said it, "and I missed you too. Katerina..."

I gave him a smile and leaned in to kiss his cheek just as the door to his dormitory flew open. Two of his roommates, along with Pansy, stood near the entrance. Realizing someone was watching, Draco quickly took his arm away from me. His face got a little redder than it already was, and his expression a little more annoyed, thanks to the interruption. He stood up from the bed with a huff and turned to frown at the door.

"I told you I wanted to be left alone" Draco complained, standing in front of me, blocking my view. I frowned too. He was getting into his bad habits again, pouting when he didn't get his way. I rolled my eyes at him, as one of his roommates spoke up.

"You don't look alone to me, Malfoy" he called, nodding his head at me. Peaking around Draco standing in front of me, I waved a small hello, and he gave me a smirk back.

"Get out" Draco insisted, moving to block me again.

"You know, that's not a great way to make friends, Deedee" I called quietly, but loud enough so he would hear me. Draco spun around to glare at me, as I just smiled back.

"We gave you some time; this is our room too, you know" the other one called in a tired voice, taking a step inside. He stopped at the foot of the bed and looked down at me a moment. "You're Katerina Volkov, right? I'm Theodore Nott. You're on my bed."

"Yes, nice to meet you. I think our families have met" I nodded, and shook his outstretched hand. After, I pushed myself off the bed and moved to stand next to Draco. For a moment no one said anything, we just stood silently for a moment. I gave a nod, to no one in particular, before turning to him. "I should get going, just wanted to make sure you were done with your latest fit."

"It wasn't a fit—"

"It was nice to meet you Theodore and…" I let my interrupting sentence hang, waiting for him to answer.

"Zabini. Blaise Zabini" he called, still giving me a smirk. I nodded and gave him a smile back.

"Nice to meet you two."

Waving to them, I walked over to the door. I knew Draco, and I knew how he acted, and now that other people had joined us he was going to start acting up again. He didn't like showing certain sides of himself to other people, not that I could say I wasn't the same. Still, it was my time to go. As I passed by I gave a poke to his cheek, making his pout frown into a small smile, before I reached the exit. Pansy was still standing by the door, looking at the three of us inside. She let me pass but lingered under the threshold. Giving one last goodbye to the boys, and ignoring the fact she was acting strange, I went back down to the common room, then back up towards the girls' dormitories.

When I walked into my room, I was the only one there. That was an odd thought to have. I was used to having more than enough space to myself, never having to share a room with anyone. Now I had roommates. I made a face to myself before grabbing a book to read and sitting on my bed. I had just gotten a few pages in when Pansy, Daphne, and Millicent walked in. They didn't knock, though they didn't have to, it was their room too. I heard them whispering to each other, but chose to ignore it. It almost sounded like they were talking about me, maybe they weren't, but I didn't really much care. I was used to people acting that way.

"So I heard you found Draco" Daphne called, tilting down to meet my eyes. I looked up long enough to nod at her before turning back down to flip to my next page. She sat down on her bed, the one next to mine, before continuing. "You two seem close. Do you like him?"

"I suppose" I answered, looking up for a moment. He was obnoxious sometimes but we got along, and he was a good friend when he tried. "Our families have known each other since when we were younger. I haven't seen him in a bit, but we get along alright."

"That's… not what I meant" she giggled a bit.

"Then what did you mean?" I frowned a little, not following. She opened her mouth to answer but paused, inevitably deciding against it.

"Nothing, you just seem close" Daphne shook her head and smiled. She glanced a moment at where Pansy and Millicent sat, then giggles to herself again. "He sure seems popular."

I mumbled a reply before turning back down to my book. Daphne laughed to herself, at whatever she thought was so funny. She got up and went to join Pansy and Millicent in whatever they were whispering about. Pansy seemed to have a problem with me. Not sure why, but I wasn't about to argue with her. Millicent seemed to not have an original idea. Daphne, while the nosiest of the three, was the one I seemed to get along with the most. Not the group I would have chosen to room with, but it could have been worse.


	3. Flying Lessons

The days that followed felt a lot calmer at Hogwarts castle. Now done with the excitement of a new school, all that was left were an average school and its classes. It was a little surprising to note how little I saw of students in other houses. I saw Hermione from time to time, as Gryffindor had potions with us, but there wasn't much time with them aside from that. Every once in a while I met with her in the library; she was one of the few I constantly saw in there, aside from a few Ravenclaws. Fred and George were a little more persistent than that. Often they would try to invite me to spend one time after dinner with them, or during free periods. I was even starting to get better at telling them apart, their personalities were the slightest bit different, but I still had issues with it. The two were fun to be around and, even if I had originally used them for information, I was glad we had met.

"Why do you keep talking to those weasels?" Draco grumbled to me one morning. He hadn't glared at me since last time, but he was still being pouty. Even for his stupidly high standards toward the people he associated with, he seemed to particularly dislike Fred and George.

"I like them. And it's not weasel, it's Weasley" I grumbled back, continuing to eat my breakfast. Draco let out a low grumble in response. Behind him, Pansy made a face. Ever since that night I went to Draco's room, he had been acting a lot snippier with me. That was a little annoying, considering we lived together, but I would make due.

Movement caught my eye as Fred and George waved at me from the Gryffindor table, exaggeratedly mouthing something and pointing to the door. From experience, that was their way of asking if I wanted to meet after our meal. I shook my head, pointing at Draco. I was going to spend some time with him for the day. The two shrugged before turning back down to their food, and to laugh with some friends. Draco was a baby; if you didn't give him constant love and attention he just started to cry like one.

Soon the owls flew into the Great Hall. All at once, they began to drop student letters and parcels. Draco's hawk owl, Balthazar, dropped him off a package from home, one full of sweets. Being the charming boy he is, Draco gloated to whoever would listen. But, being charming myself, Draco offered me some treats. Nibbling on what he offered as dessert, I was surprised to see my own owl in the mix.

"Whiskers, what are you doing here?" I cooed, at my tawny owl.

"I can't believe you actually named it that" Draco complained, but I ignored him. It was strange, yes, but I liked it.

My owl lingered a second on the table, dropping off a small square parcel. I picked it up, seeing it was just bigger than the size of my hand. As a thank you, I threw a small piece of my breakfast, which he caught fairly easily. Whiskers flew out of the Great Hall as I began to open the package. Inside was a pocketbook edition of Moste Potente Potions, a potions book I didn't actually have yet. It was a bit more complicated than what we were dealing with as first years, and had been looking into it. I frowned a little, more surprised at the choice. My parents had no reservations about buying me expensive things, but they weren't usually that spot on about my tastes. They didn't normally care enough to pay attention.

"It has a letter" Draco mentioned, fluttering a piece I had missed.

I set my items down between us and took the letter from him. With a smile, I realized it wasn't from my parents, but my aunt Sasha. She was my father's sister, also powerful and well-known in her circle, she lived in their hometown in Russia. Aunt Sasha was easily one of my favorite people in the world. But, seeing as she lived so far, it was hard to keep in contact with her.

 _My dear Katerina,_

 _I wanted to make sure to congratulate you on your placement in Slytherin. From what I have heard, it is an extraordinary house. And I know how much you love potions, so I thought this could help get you ahead of the rest of the kids in your year. You have always been exemplary for your age, and I know you will rise above them in no time._

 _With love, your loving aunt, Sasha._

 _P.S. I heard from your father that Draco will be attending Hogwarts with you. If you see him, make sure you say hello, and give him a kiss for me._

Draco looked over my shoulder, trying to read the letter from me. Draco looked up, having finished the short reading. With a smile, I mouthed a hello and blew him a kiss. He gave me a frown before turning away, blushing a little at the visible show of affection. Behind him, I saw Pansy frowning at me too. I wasn't really sure what her reason was, but I chose to ignore it, turning back down to grab one more of Draco's treats.

"Hey" Draco called, wanting to catch my attention. "Do you want to go outside?"

It seemed his attention was fixated on the Gryffindor table. Fred and George had left their table, which might have had something to do with to do with his decision. I gave him a nod, standing up form the table. Pansy continued to glare as we got up and left the table. I wasn't exactly sure what had caused her change in attitude, but I was sure it wasn't something I had intentionally done. Draco walked a few paces ahead of me,

"Katerina," I heard Theodore call for me, "your book."

I paused a moment, circling back to grab it. Draco kept walking forward, while I lingered at the Slytherin table. I reached over to grab my gift, smiling a thank you to Theodore as I hugged it to my chest. Next to it was the leftover box of Draco's sweets. Now that he had walked away, Pansy was kindly helping herself to the rest of them. I thought a moment, whether I should do something about it, before giving myself a nod.

"I'll be taking these too, thank you" I smiled at her. If she was going to be difficult, then so was I. Pansy kept glowering at me as I waved the rest of them goodbye.

Draco was a little ways away. But he hadn't gone too far away. He had stopped at the Gryffindor table. The round-faced boy from before had apparently gotten a parcel too, that Draco had found interesting enough to grab for himself. I rolled my eyes as I went to meet him. He could very well buy a Remembrall for himself, but he always liked to cause trouble. By the time I met him he, along with two of his roommates, had caught enough attention to bring in a professor. I gave him a look until eventually he set the gift down, and walked toward the entrance hall.

Outside of the Great Hall, Draco was leaning against the entrance door waiting. He let out a small frown when he saw me. I frowned back before realizing he was frowning behind me. Gregory Crabbe and Vincent Goyle had followed us out. Like many other in our house, their family name sounded familiar but we weren't particularly close. Those two, in particular, they never really spoke much. Draco didn't look thrilled to see them, but he didn't ask them to leave either. We wandered around a while, not needing to do anything for quite some time.

Eventually, it was time to attend our first flying lesson. I had of course been on a broom before, as I assumed most my age had. Not to mention I had a childhood friend who had been quite talented on a broom, so I learned a few fundamentals from him. My father had taught me a few things as well, as he believed a powerful wizard had a well-rounded knowledge of all magical basics. Aside from lessons, Papa didn't really prioritize our time together, but I had learned to make due.

With our arrival, all of the first years Slytherins were there, we were just waiting on the rest to begin. I chatted with Daphne for a moment, waiting for the lesson to begin. Draco was off being his charming self with some of the other Slytherins. He and his roommates had been doing better, following the time he kicked them out. I wasn't sure what they found to like about him, as his personality was overall… lacking. Personally I found Draco adorable, but somehow I didn't think they had met the same criteria.

Finally the last of the Gryffindors arrive, and our professor began the class. Everyone was placed next to the individual brooms that had been dropped on the ground. Madam Hooch, our instructor, weaved through the lines as we called up our brooms, directing us on how to properly hold them. I caught Draco frowning at her a bit, not happy to be told he had been doing it wrong for years. Most picked it up fairly easily, and the class went on smoothly, until Longbottom managed to fall quite a few feet off his broom. Pausing the lesson a moment, Madam Hooch decided to take him to the hospital wing. As soon as they were out of view, Draco burst out laughing. Not long after, all the other Slytherins had joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy" a Gryffindor girl screamed.

Not taking the threat at all seriously, Pansy mocked her in return. Not wanting to involve myself in whatever this was going to turn into, I took a step away as Draco stepped forward. He had found something interesting on the ground; Longbottom's remembrall. Potter decided to make the stupid decision and get involved. He spoke up, demanding Draco hand over the gift, loudly and brashly. But he obviously didn't know Draco very well, as he wasn't one to listen to demands.

"Come and get it, Potter!"

Draco loudly teased, tempting him to follow. Not being as smart as I had thought he would be, Potter was falling for it. Harry grabbed hold of his broom, darting towards Draco.

"Draco!" I called out to him, but he ignored me.

I frowned, watching the two chase after each other. Potter was more impressive on a broom than I had anticipated he would be. I didn't think he had prior training, being muggle raised and all. He chased around after Draco with ease. Not that I had looked too far into his past, but the boy-who-lived sure drew attention around the castle. Crossing my arms, I continued to watch them run around after each other. The tossed and turned a moment before lingering to a stop. They exchanged a few words with each other, but not the fun kind it would seem. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could see them, and I knew that look.

"Draco Malfoy!"

I saw his eyes flick to me for only a second before turning back and throwing the remembrall as far as he could. Potter chased after, as Draco dropped down and dismounted his broom.

"HARRY POTTER!"

In a much louder tone, someone yelled for the other boy. Stepping closer to our class, Professor McGonagall interrupted the students, not looking too happy with Potter in particular. She sputtered out a few incoherent words, barely forming sentences as she went on. The professor grabbed hold of Potter, pulling him into the castle with her. A few Gryffindors tried to reason with their head of house but she ignored them, taking harry the rest of the way inside. Draco looked rather pleased with himself. Crabbe and Goyle looked almost as pleased as he was, sharing in his pride. I glared at him and his smirk waivered a moment, before reassembling and turning his self-serving smirk to the others. My frown deepened a bit at the reaction. He was acting off again; he was acting like his older self. After Potter was taken away for the day, Madam Hooch came back to join our course.

For the rest of the day I chose to ignore him. Draco didn't take too kindly to that. He kept insisting that we talk, not even sure what it is we were supposed to talk about. Following me for a ways out, he stepped into a vacant corner of the dungeon with me. Knowing he wouldn't quit, I wanted to find a good place for us to argue. Just because I was upset with him didn't mean I wanted to embarrass him in front of the others. Knowing him, I would never hear the end of that.

"Katerina, would you—"

He paused a moment, noting the look I was giving him. Draco rarely irritated me but when he did, I couldn't take it lightly. I kept looking at him a moment, waiting for him to start. But he didn't. Either not knowing what this was about, or having the same idea as me, he wasn't talking. Normally I would have waited for him to figure it out, but it was almost time for dinner, and if we took too long all of the good entrees would be gone.

"Look," I began, knowing this could take a while, "we're going to be late for dinner if we keep waiting like this. Why don't I just tell you why I'm upset and you can decide whether you actually want to apologize or not. You know I never fall for your fake apologies, anyway."

I stopped for a second, giving him an opportunity to reply. Draco gave me a frown, but nodded in understanding. I let out a sigh but nodded as well and continued.

"I don't like how you've been acting."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Draco replied with a frown.

"It means exactly what it means" I replied before pausing a moment. Draco and I had our problems in the past, but I thought we had grown past it. The original reason I had stopped talking to him was because of how he could be. When we had met again in the castle, I thought he had changed; that maybe he had learned his lesson. More than a year had passed now, since our original argument, but… "But you're acting just the same as before. And I don't like it."

"Same as before?" he repeated softly. Piecing what I meant together, Draco frowned a little more. "I thought we were over this."

"Apparently we're not."

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?" Draco frowned at me but I didn't answer, not entirely at least.

"I must not have noticed, what with you trying to charm the whole of Slytherin and all. You usually act your fake sweetest self until someone you don't like, in this instance Potter—"

"You know what" he interrupted, looking down at me intently, "I don't want to know. Do whatever you want."

I looked over at Draco to see him making that blank expression he always put on when he wanted to hide what he was really feeling; straight face, with cold, stony eyes. I stretched a hand and gave his cheek a poke, just to see if I could get his expression to change. His eyes softened a bit but not much else changed. I sighed and started walking, stepping past him on my way out of the dungeon. Most of the others would be at the Slytherin table already, and not a single one was the type to share.

In the Great Hall, I took a seat next to Daphne for dinner, rather than what my usual place would be next to Draco. He grumbled in shortly after I did, taking a seat next to Crabbe and Goyle. Once he did, Draco glanced at me to see I had found a new place to eat. Draco frowned in my direction, but pretended not to care otherwise. With the tension very clear between us, Pansy took that as an opportunity to take my spot. She shuffled herself to the place next to Draco, getting a little closer than I think he appreciated. I frowned a little, realizing why she was sat so close to him they could be touching.

Daphne and I spoke, mostly to ourselves for dinner. The conversation drifted about through a few topics, one of which included our most recent flying lesson. I made sure we didn't linger on Draco's little standoff with the Gryffindor. But according to Daphne, who had somehow already found this information, Potter hadn't been expelled. Madam Hooch had warned us we would be if found on a broom so, apparently, that had just been an empty threat. Looking over at the Gryffindor table I found Fred and George rushing over to where some first years were sat. They hunched over a few to whisper a bit, looking pretty happy about whatever they were talking about as Draco walked into view. I frowned next to me, not realizing he had left our table. Standing from the table, I excused myself, mainly to Daphne, and headed outside. I needed some fresh air.

"There you are" Fred, I thought, called with a smile on his face. George followed after him towards the end of the Gryffindor table.

"Hey" I smiled back. From the corner of my eye I saw Draco behind him, stepping away from the Gryffindor table. He seemed really pleased with whatever it was he had started over there. Draco paused having caught sight of me too, and noticing who it was I was talking to.

"We wanted to know if you wanted to come with us" George went on, drawing my attention back to him.

"We're going to meet a friend of ours. Wanna check out a secret passageway we think we found. Want to come with?" Fred went on to explain.

Ignoring the looks I was getting, I agreed to go with them. Both looked happy enough to have me along, and led the way out of the Great Hall. As we exited, I noticed Draco complaining about something to the boys next to him. The twins' friend, Lee Jordan, reminded me a bit of the two. He did, however, seem… less trusting. Not that I blamed him; his was the most reasonable reaction of the bunch.

Unfortunately for them, the passage they thought led out of Hogwarts, actually just directed us into a restricted section of the school. The two insisted it was still good to know these sorts of things, but it was clear they were disappointed. Even so, they did have a point. I wasn't sure how they had managed to track down the passage, or who they had originally heard the rumor from, but I was curious to find out. Suffice it to say, the two were interesting boys, and I was glad they had chosen my compartment to run into at the very last minute.

As time passed, and it got later in the evening, we said goodbye to Lee. Fred and George offered to walk me down to the Slytherin Dungeon. While they couldn't step inside without a password, there was no rule preventing them from lingering around outside, so I didn't see a reason to decline. On the way down, we spoke a bit about what had happened in the last few days. I mentioned my aunt, and the things they had left me, but nothing too exciting had happened that I cared to share. The boys, however, had a bit more insight. They knew how Potter had been taken away from our flying lessons, the reason apparently being much more lenient than I expected it would be. He was asked to join the Gryffindor Quidditch teams, and they had learned so as fellow members.

"Beaters" they announced proudly.

"Just keep it a secret, we're not supposed to tell people yet" Fred mentioned with a wink.

"So why are you telling me, if it's supposed to be such a secret?" I reminded them as we approached the Slytherin common room entrance. "I am in your rivaling house, you know."

"We trust you" George smiled at me.

"You trust far too easily" I smiled back at him. George's smile grew a little at that.

We had reached the bottom of the steps, and I turned to say goodbye to the twins. Fred leaned in and gave me a hug. Taken a bit by the gesture, I didn't push him off. Before I got enough composure to, George decided to join in, putting his arms around the both of us. I laughed a bit, stuck in the middle of the two. I had only known the two a few days, but they were more affectionate than some I had known for years. Ignoring the looks we got I said goodbye to them in the corridor, before walking into the common room.

"How was dinner?" Daphne asked as soon as she saw me step inside. Next to her, I saw Draco, along with a few of the others, having a chat. He paused when he saw me come in but turned away just as quickly.

"It was fine" I nodded and turned up to my room. This is exactly the kind of thing I didn't want to encourage out of him. So, until he fixed it, I wouldn't involve myself with it.


	4. New Friends

As the next month passed, classes went by, and I was still a little upset with Draco. He hadn't apologized, not that I had expected he would. I was polite enough to him, but it wasn't the same as before. Draco kept complaining about Potter, of course, getting jealous of all the special treatment he was receiving. When he had found out Potter had been allowed to join the Gryffindor team, he threw an even more childish fit than before. It's not as if we were exempt from our own special treatment, Professor Snape didn't really have many issues with us. But as our little feud went on, Pansy took full advantage of the now empty place next to Draco. It seemed really obvious now she thought more of him than probably the rest of us combined. Although, I still believed it wasn't as highly as Draco thought of himself.

It seemed like now that she didn't need me to get closer to him, Pansy wasn't too concerned with keeping things friendly between us. She kept to herself, Millicent, and occasionally Daphne. Millicent never said much, so I didn't mind her picking a side. Daphne seemed to flow fairly easily between the two groups that now encompassed our room, so I was alright with her as well. But, seeing as my supply of Slytherins was running low, I outsourced a few meetings to Gryffindor. Time outside of classes was normally spent out on the grounds to meet Fred, George, or some combination of the two. Hermione was also nice enough to have around. We had a few things in common, aside from the surface differences. The main variance being that, magic or not, she was muggleborn. She was also more emotional that I was used to people publicly being.

"They are just so selfish! Do you know how many points they have lost our house? I can't even keep track. We've only been here a month!" Hermione let out some frustration between sobs.

I had just barely gotten her to speak in coherent words. Just before the Halloween feast I had found her in the girls' lavatory. Hermione had flaked on our initial meeting, and it took finding out from a couple of other Gryffindor girls that she had been in there all afternoon. I went to see her, to find what all the crying was about. It wasn't clear what exactly made her hysterical, but it seemed to have something to do with Potter and Ronald.

"Well, I'm not saying that you should forgive them, but avoiding those two isn't going to change anything."

"You mean like you're doing with Malfoy?" she snapped back. I gave her a surprised look, not used to the curt tone. Hermione took my look to mean something different, and her expression turned immediately apologetic. "I didn't mean that."

"You did, but it's alright, and you're right. I should talk to him but…" I drifted the sentence off, trying to think of the right words. He had been distant since we had our argument, and it wasn't as if I was chasing after him either. But I wanted to talk to the Draco I knew, not the bratty boy he had been pretending to be recently. It just wasn't the right time.

We chatted a bit and, eventually, she stopped crying, although she still looked upset. I had insisted she come to the Halloween feast at least, but to no avail. Eventually I left her and went into the Great Hall. In theme of the season, bats fluttered from wall to ceiling. Every so often one swooped down, missing the pumpkins and candles just so to make them stutter. The feast began, placing the foods on golden plates. But before I could enjoy much of it, the feast was interrupted rather quickly with Professor Quirrell busting into the room. He stumbled, gasping and huffing, stumbling some words out before passing out on the floor. Apparently, there was a troll in one of the dungeons.

"Come, this way!"

At the command of our headmaster, prefects began to escort all students to our designated houses. Everyone was in a bit of an uproar, but what could we do but hide out until this got resolved. Being escorted out on the entrance hall, I lingered for a moment, having seen Professor Snape heading the opposite way to us. He was heading up the stairs to the towers. The Gryffindor tower…

"Hermione" I mumbled under my breath, realizing where she probably still was.

I doubted she had joined back in with her house; I hadn't seen her walk into the Great Hall during the feast. She was still out there. And if the troll managed to head up the stairs, it wasn't a good idea to be in a confined room with one. Unconsciously I began to sneak away from the group. She needed to know what was happening. But as I got to the foot of the stairs, my body stopped. I should warn her, I couldn't just leave her by herself, unaware that there was a troll in the school. But should I be the one to do it?

"Where are you going?" Draco screamed as he chased after me. I stayed looking at him, not sure of what to do or where to head. Impatiently, Draco stepped in front of me to block the way. "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear them say there's a troll in here?"

"Oh like they're so dangerous? They're a class four threat at best" I snapped, stepping back and away from him. With a look, a little more determined now, I turned to walk past him. "Not that you care, but I have to find Hermione. She's hidden out, and might not know about the troll—"

"I am not letting you go off yourself for some—Gryffindor" he snapped, stuttering on the last word as if he had initially meant to say something else. Taking the step above mine, Draco blocked my way once again. "If she was stupid enough to get herself caught that's her own fault."

"Don't be ridiculous, let me through" I tried to shove myself past him, but he grabbed my wrist to stop me. "Draco!"

"Even if you did go, what makes you think you'd be of any help?" he insisted. I frowned at him, seemingly that look softened his expression a bit. "Look, you made friends with the muggle, I get that, congratulations and what have you, but you have to know how stupid this is."

"But what if you're wrong? What if she's caught somewhere—"

"Professors are out looking, she'll live" Draco interrupted. I tried to pull loose again, but he didn't let me. "They might even catch the thing before she has a chance to crawl out of whatever hole she's in. And if she gets caught then that's her problem, not yours. But—"

"Draco—"

"I'd rather it be her than you" he said honestly, and took a step lower on the stairs.

I stayed on the step a moment before yielding, and following him down the stairs. Draco shifted a bit, moving his hand from my wrist to grab onto my hand. For a moment, I glanced back at the stairs but didn't fight him again. In front of me, I heard Draco let out a small sigh. It took me a moment to realize this was the first time in quite a few weeks that Draco and I had spoken more than two sentences to each other. I grabbed his hand a little tighter as I followed after. Draco glanced over his shoulder for a second before turning forward again. He didn't look back until we reached the entrance of the Slytherin common room.

As we entered the common room, a few of our housemates glanced over at us curiously. We were late, so they were probably wondering why we had wandered off. Pansy was stood by the door, probably having waited for Draco this whole time. When she saw us together, her glance shifted down to our hands being held together. That seemed to draw Draco's attention to it too. He took his hand from mine quickly before moving to join the rest of the boys.

Together most of our year were sat at a nearby table. The Halloween feast had been brought down to us. I chatted with them as we ate and the night passed, with no one bothering to ask us directly why we were late. But eventually they announced the troll was caught, with no notice of casualties, making me let out a small sigh of relief. Draco heard and glanced over in my direction. I gave him a small smile, but turned back to my conversation with Daphne. Although by force, it seemed like we had gotten back into speaking terms. I just hoped he wouldn't make me regret it.

After the incident passed, I met with Hermione. I was glad to see her alright, and I let her know. In response, she gave me a hug. I patted her back, once again surprised by the natural affection most Gryffindors seemed to exude. Apparently, Potter and Ronald had found her in the girls' room and helped her escape, so I assumed she was just happy about that. Draco and I had a similar interaction, although not completely alike. The forced interaction seemed to help both relationships get past their issues.

Eating meals began to feel normal as well. Draco offered me the seat next to his at the Slytherin table again. I must admit it brought joy for me to see the look on Pansy's face when he offered me her seat. She threw a small fit in response, not happy with how things had worked out. It wasn't the best relationship, hers and mine, but these little moments were what made everything worthwhile. Still, I felt fine in the seat I had taken next to Daphne, so I let Pansy have another moment more. I still didn't understand why she thought so highly of Draco, but it wasn't my problem, and frankly I didn't care.

Eventually, the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor arrived. That Saturday ran cold with icy winds, but it looked like the entirety of the school was in attendance nonetheless. Loud cheering surrounded us as we climbed into our seats for the event. There were a few banners scattered about, colorful and calling for attention from the players who would soon make their way out. A few conversations were had as we looked around and waited for the match to begin.

"Potter for President" Theodore called out, just loud enough to be heard over the crowd. Turning to glance where he was facing I saw the banner he had been referring to. Next to it sat Hermione, and Ronald sat next to her. The two were getting along a bit better it seemed. I made a note of that before turning back, to find Draco sneering in their direction.

"That ever happens, this whole place will go up in flames" he laughed, as a few of the others joined it.

"Like you could do much better" I gave him a smile. I didn't know Potter, or how well he could run a school, but I did know Draco. And, just as I had anticipated, his face puckered up in that way it always did when he got annoyed.

"I could do plenty better" Draco whined in return. I gave him a smile which just made his face sour all the more.

"I think you would make a wonderful president" Pansy called up from her seat in front of us. At the obnoxiously obvious attempt at flattery, I rolled my eyes.

Looking down at the field again, I felt a shiver run through me from under my robes. It really was cold out. Normally I didn't mind the drop in temperature, but the weather like this wasn't usually the best for an outing. I frowned to my side. Draco frowned back, thinking the expression was directed at him. Ignoring the look, I reached over to him. Pansy shot me a disapproving glare as I put an arm around him. I pulled my arm carefully back, taking his scarf with him.

"I'm cold" I defended, wrapping it more around my neck.

"And you think I'm not?" Draco called back, having to speak a little louder. I turned back down as the players began to walk onto the field. The cheers started up around us, and I gave Draco a smile before pulling part of the scarf over my face. Draco rolled his eyes at me and focused forward onto the match.

Our section cheered as the Slytherin green reached the center of the field. I joined in a bit, seeing as they were in my house, even if I didn't know most of the team personally. It was about time I took part in that Slytherin pride everyone else seemed so fond of. Across from us, the Gryffindors showed their own form of it, clapping and cheering at their own team taking the stage. I gave a small clap for them too, solely for Fred and George. I knew the two were on the team, but for some reason they looked different than I would have thought. Their scarlet robes complemented their hair fairly well.

Potter fell into the mix of the other Gryffindors. Aside from the other obvious reasons, he was the smallest of the lot. The twins had told me his recruitment into the Gryffindor Quidditch team had been meant to be a secret, but the news had spread quickly through the castle. I hadn't told, not to anyone who didn't already know, but my guess was someone had overheard our conversation in the Slytherin dungeon. It was their own fault, really. I have enjoyed my time in Slytherin plenty, but that environment was not a place to openly discuss secrets.

The game began with Madam Hooch, addressing the two teams. It had been some time since I had seen a Quidditch match. Normally I wasn't the kind to go to events, and it had been a long time since I had witnessed a school match. Still, part of me missed the sight of it. It all reminded me of an old friend I once had. The players then mounted the brooms, shooting up as the whistle range.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor—what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too—"

"JORDAN!"

The twins' roommate I had been introduced to, Lee Jordan, was apparently the acting announcer. His comments seemed overall opinionated and biased. Professor McGonagall seemed to think so too, taking every moment to shush him whenever he strayed. I smiled a bit at it. He seemed just as biased as any other Gryffindor would be, I supposed. Regardless he seemed rather adept, names sounding off as plays were made. Although he did sound particularly cheerful as he called—

"GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

I heard groans all around me, while the other side cheered.

"Not much good for anything, is he" Draco jeered. I glanced where he was looking, at Potter lingering in the air. No Snitch was visible yet, it seemed, meaning he had nothing to chase after.

"Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speed towards the—wait a moment—was that the Snitch?"

At the announcement, Potter darted forward on his broom. The Slytherin Seeker must have seen it as well, as they both followed after the Snitch. As the two zipped through the skies, most of the other players paused a moment, to watch like the rest of us. Most, that is, except for Flint, who took this as an opportunity to knock against Potter. A few times Potter almost fell, causing quite a bit of laughter around me. He composed himself somewhat, before lingering in the sky once more. It seemed he had lost sight of the Snitch again. They went back and forth a few times, before Potter's broom started bucking. Quite a few times he nearly missed falling off his broom, as the other players made passes behind him.

"Looks like he's finally lost it" Draco smirked as he sped quickly towards the ground. It didn't exactly look lost to me. Potter clapped a hand over his mouth, settling himself onto the ground. He stopped a second to cough on all fours. "Seems the whole thing was a bit much for the poor fool."

"I don't think so" I replied.

"I've got the Snitch!" Potter called out after a moment, waving a hand above his head. In his grasp, the gold of the Snitch glimmered.

Not quite the game we had expected, losing 60 to 170. We may have won, if the Snitch hadn't been caught so early.

"It shouldn't count, should it. He nearly swallowed the thing, he didn't catch it proper" Pansy argued, watching intently for Draco's reaction.

"Rather hoped he would have choked on it instead" Draco smirked, agreeing with her sentiment. Pansy smiled at him in return.

"I thought he would have done worse, considering the whole muggleborn thing" Daphne commented, looking around at the rest of us.

"He's a half-blood" Theodore corrected. Daphne pouted at him, but didn't argue. "He was raised by muggles, not bred by them."

"Easy mistake; he acts enough like a mudblood" Draco sneered. At the word, I glared at him. Pausing at the sound, I stopped a moment and gently pulled off my scarf. I didn't like that word and he knew it. Draco started to say something a moment before I shoved his garb in his face.

"Go on without me, I'm needing some fresh air. Thank you for the scarf" I added before walking off, not allowing him a chance to argue.

"That was a bit sudden. You think she's feeling ill?" I heard Daphne ask the others as I stepped away.

"Who knows, and who cares" Pansy called a little louder. Ignoring her whining tone, I walked off and further out of earshot.

Most of the students were heading back inside, so I figured there wouldn't be much of a bother out on the grounds. I liked to wander around the fields, letting myself get distracted by odd thoughts. We had a similar piece of land back home. Although back home there were no creatures infesting our land, unlike across the lake and Forbidden Forest. My father would simply not allow that.

I sat myself near a tree I felt a good enough distance from the castle, one near the lake. No one was near, considering everyone's rush to get back inside. It was cold, I did admit, and something I should have thought about before storming off like that. But I was nothing if not stubborn. Besides, I had only just forgiven Draco. I didn't want to have another fight just yet, but if I saw that smug face of his, I knew we would. He always did try to show himself off in front of others, it was one of the few things I disliked about him. Draco always did care too much about what other people thought, otherwise he was normally a rather sweet boy.

I held my knees a bit to my chest as I looked forward. Some small waves began to form at the surface of the lake as the cold winds blew on them. Not wanting to focus on anything in particular, I let my mind drift from one topic to another. It was a habit I had developed over the years. Sometimes, when there are a lot of things to think of, the most comfortable thing is to not focus on any of it. Not the best plan for long-term resolution, but it served its purpose. My attention remained focused on the waters until I felt something fall onto my head. It felt heavy. The cloth covered a bit of my face. As I pulled the fabric forward, my eyes focused on two smiling faces instead.

"Hey there, Kitty" Fred greeted cheerfully. George, smiling next to him, stood without his cloak. Looking down at my hands, I found them in my grip.

"You looked a bit cold, thought I would help" George commented, taking a seat directly next to me. Fred fell back as he took a sit himself, in front of us.

"Thank you" I said honestly, as it was rather cold. I shuffled around a bit before placing the cloak around my shoulders, above my own. George watched me as I did, giving me a smile when he saw me glance at him. With the added layer I rubbed my shoulders a bit, feeling a little warmer already. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but shouldn't you two be off celebrating? You won that match, even if it was in an interesting way."

"Rather an interesting catch than a cheated win" Fred muttered himself.

"Says you" I replied, and was answered with a smirk from George.

"We were on our way, but a real celebration requires some fireworks. We ran out of supplies—"

"So we're here to find some ingredients" Fred finished for him. He pointed his expression in the direction of the woods.

"In the Forbidden Forest, you mean?" I asked, making a point to emphasize the name. Fred gave me a chuckle.

"Ah, to be young and innocent again" he called, placing a gentle hand in his chest as if with reminiscing fondness.

"I highly doubt you were ever truly innocent" I commented. Fred gave me a smirk back.

"So, what are you doing out here?" George asked, getting back to me. I turned away a moment.

"I just felt I needed some air" I answered, turning up my nose at the crisp feel of the air.

I knew myself, and I knew Draco fairly well. If I had iddled after that comment I would have most likely given him some lecture, or a form of scolding about why he shouldn't say that word. My scolding would have turned him defensive, to defend himself in front of the others, and we would have argued. Draco would have most likely said something rude, or insisted on the comments he had made, and that would have only made me more upset. Then another fight would have started, most likely lasting another month or so. Besides, the holidays were so close by, and not being in the mood to bring all that for us to deal with, I insisted instead on some time off.

"I didn't think you'd take a loss this bad" George joked, leaning a bit closer to add to his tone.

"I didn't think you'd be so smug after such a simple victory" I called back.

"We take victories where we can. You obviously don't know us that well" Fred called with an arrogant smile.

"But we should be able to fix that soon enough" George smiled next to me. Fred turned his smirk toward his brother.

"I'm sure you'll see to that" Fred leaned closer to kick his brother teasingly on the foot. In a not so gentle manner, George kicked him back.

"You two alright?" I asked, watching the two go at it a bit. George kicked his brother once more before turning to me.

"Splendid" he gave me a smile.

"We should really get going. Those fires aren't going to start themselves" Fred called cheerfully, huffing a bit as he stood from his seat. Part of me guessed he meant to say fireworks, though the other part wasn't so sure.

"You going to be alright by yourself?" George asked, still sat next to me. Unlike his brother, he didn't seem to be in such a rush. Still, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him.

"Well, that was my intention" I reminded, but he shrugged at me in return.

I didn't mind being alone. I hadn't expected to meet them here to begin with. Besides, thanks to them I was a little warmer now, I would survive. Scooting myself a bit forward, I began to reach around me to pull off the robes. George leaned forward and placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me. I gave him a confused look, but he gave me a smile in return.

"No, no, keep it" he insisted, before pulling his hand away.

"Keep it?" I repeated, still not understanding what he was trying to say.

"Not forever" George gave me a smile, figuring that's what I was thinking of. "I mean just for a moment. You can return it to me some other time. You're so small you might freeze over if you're left without."

"I'm not that small" I argued but that only seemed more laughable to him. I frowned a moment before his brother intervened.

"You are though and, while the idea of a frozen snake normally sounds pleasant, we would rather it not be you" Fred mentioned, stepping forward to kick his brother. George swung at his brother's legs, but stood up just the same. And with just that, and a small goodbye, the two stepped away, off to whatever mischief they felt up to today.

Once they had gone from view, I turned down to analyze my new robes. The inner lining was a bright red, unlike the usual greens I'd seen. They looked far more worn than a set should look for only a couple of months in, most likely secondhand from one of their older siblings. Still, even if worn, they looked well managed. I suppose when you don't have the virtue of an automatic replacement, you care for what you own. The robes smelled pleasant enough, but with a hint of smoke. That was probably a remnant of all those fires they sounded so fond of. I pulled the cloak a bit forward, as it covered the whole of me. They were only a couple of years older than me, but I supposed I was a bit smaller than some my age. Of course, I wouldn't admit that aloud, but it made sense, considering.

My attention turned back to watch the waves. It wasn't so bad, being alone. By this point I had grown rather used to it. There wasn't much else to do when at home. The ripples of the surface grew a bit bigger, having the giant squid swimming close to the surface most likely. With a small sigh, I wrapped the robes more comfortably around me as I turned to watch the waters. I would return them later.


End file.
